Matchmaking and the Single Girl
by Hatake Satsuki
Summary: Kaia was single and content, but her friend Samansa was determined to pull her into the world of wedded bliss. When Kaia arrives at her friends' house for a BBQ, her world is turned upside down by a pair of black eyes and her matchmaking friend. Naruto AU
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This is chapter one in a 3 chapter mini-fic I wrote for a very close friend on DA. Today (October 9th) is her birthday, and this was my present for her. It was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but my muse got ahold of it and made it a little longer. Clearly this story is AU, and both Sasuke and Kakashi are rather OOC, but the story was written for fun for my uke, so I don't care. ;)

Kaia is her OC, and Sasuke is her favorite Naruto character. Samansa is my OC and Kakashi is my favorite. That's where the story bloomed from. Kakashi and Sasuke don't belong to me, sadly, and I lay no claim to either man. I claim only Samansa and this story. Thanks and I hope you like it. :)

* * *

Several thoughts passed through Kaia's mind at once. She had several snappy, and quite rude replies she could offer. She could turn around and walk away. She could give in to the pressure at last. None of this happened however. Almost as if against her will, Kaia heard herself say only, resignedly, "What?"

"I said, is that really what you decided to wear? You couldn't have dressed a little nicer?"

"For you and Kakashi?" Kaia snorts and pushes past her friend and into the house, then immediately spinning around to glare at the older woman through narrowed eyes. "I love you guys, but not that much. Ok, time to be honest. Think you can manage that? Who's the guy you're trying to set me up with this time?"

The taller woman smiles down at Kaia, trying for innocence, but missing it completely because her brown eyes flashed with a mischievous glint that Kaia knew only too well. "What makes you think I'm trying to set you up with anyone?"

"Oh come off it Samansa! You don't give a shit what I wear when I come over here unless you're wanting me to meet some guy."

Samansa smiles innocently at Kaia for a few moments longer until it becomes supremely clear that the younger woman wasn't buying it, then lets the smile drop as she closes the front door and leans back against it. Kaia wondered, not for the first time, how the older woman could manage the look that was a scowl and a pout, then closes her eyes and rubs her forehead, waiting for what she knew was coming next. "Ah, c'mon Kai! You'll really like this guy, I just know it!"

Kaia opens her eyes and looks tiredly up at her friend. "How many times do I have to tell you I don't _want_ a guy?"

"Why? You want a girl? Kakashi knows a few--"

"No damnit! You know damn well what I mean! I'm tired of doing this dance routine! Just because you and Kakashi are so blissfully happy with one another, doesn't automatically mean that the rest of the world needs to succumb to wedded bliss to be happy!"

"How do you know whether or not you'd be happy with someone else when you won't even try?"

"Because I know I'm happy now, on my own. If I'm already happy, why do I need to add someone else?"

Samansa sighs and tugs irritably at her bikini top, then turns and starts off down the hall, not waiting for Kaia to follow. "Fine, but you can be nice to him at least. He's a good guy. He doesn't deserve to be treated like crap just because you're anti-man."

Kaia lets the comment pass as she follows her friend down the hall. As they move through the house, Kaia pulls her t-shirt off to reveal her own bikini top. By the time they step out onto the back patio, her nerves had settled and Samansa's mood had improved. In the end, both women knew that none of this had been a secret. Kaia had known from the moment that Samansa had called to invite her over for a cook out and swimming that Samansa meant to try to match her up with someone. And Kaia knew that Samansa knew she was aware of the trick her friend was trying to slip past her.

Shaking her head, Kaia steps out the open french doors and tosses her t-shirt to a nearby chair as she smiled at Kakashi, standing next to the grill. "Hello old man. What's cooking?"

"I'm not old. I'm much too attractive to be old."

Kaia laughs and walks over to the older man and hugs him. "If you're not old then why is your hair--" Kaia stops talking abruptly when movement from the corner of her eye draws her attention to a dark haired young man standing by the pool. When he turns his black eyed gaze on her, Kaia can't stop the gasp the slips from her lips. "Holy shit," she whispers, then forces her gaze back to Kakashi, who was pointedly paying attention to the food he was cooking.

"You want something to drink Kaia, dear?"

Kaia glances back at Samansa over her shoulder and nods. "Sure, bring me a Sprite."

"You want another drink, Sasuke?"

The dark haired young man shook his head as he continued to watch Kaia, a strange look in his dark eyes. Kaia could feel his gaze on her, and felt herself beginning to flush in reaction to just his look. Shaking herself and settling a scowl in place on her face, she clears her throat and gives Kakashi a nudge. "Ok, introduce me to your friend you shitty host."

Kakashi glances up, fighting not to grin at Kaia which only makes her scowl harder at him. "Why am I a shitty host? I'd have introduced you, I just assumed that Samansa was going to handle it. Besides, you were too busy making fun of my hair."

"You know what they say about assuming things don't you?" Kaia can't help but grin at Kakashi, leaning in to bump her shoulder against his arm. "And I wasn't making fun of your hair, I was only pointing out an obvious fact."

Kakashi sighs dramatically and casts a long-suffering look at Kaia. "If I am old, it's because of your friend. She's a real handful you know."

"I heard that, old man. Careful or you won't get a handful of anything for a while."

Kakashi grins at Kaia, then glances over at Sasuke. Kaia takes her drink from Samansa and takes a sip before turning her own gaze to the young man by the pool. "Kaia, this is Sasuke. He's a friend of mine from work. Sasuke, this is Samansa's friend Kaia, the girl I was telling you about."

Kaia steps over to the dark haired man, ignoring the knowing look she was getting from Samansa. "So, you're a pig too?"

Sasuke raises a single black eyebrow as he smiles politely down at Kaia. "Excuse me?"

"Oh come on, I thought all you cops had a sense of humour about that particular nickname."

"No, that's just Kakashi. I think he enjoys the abuse."

Kaia glances back at Kakashi, who was once more pointedly paying attention to the food on the grill. Samansa was nowhere to be seen. Stifling a sigh, Kaia turns her attention back to the young man she'd been brought here to meet. "You're probably right. He'd have to enjoy abuse to be married to Samansa for as long as he has been."

"I heard that," Samansa calls from somewhere in the house.

Kaia glances back over her shoulder in the direction of the open french doors and grins. "Quit eavesdropping! You're a shitty host too!"

Samansa's soft snicker drifts out from the house and Kaia laughs, shaking her head as she turns her attention back to Sasuke. "So, you were lured here under the pretense of just a friendly cook out and afternoon of swimming with friends, right?"

Sasuke nods and throws a scowl at Kakashi before he replies. "Yeah, that's what he said. I expected Genma and Iruka to be here as well. Maybe some of the other guys too. But, when I arrived and there was no one else from work here, I knew something was up. Then I heard the doorbell and just the way Samansa said, 'Oh, there's Kaia, at last!' I knew what I'd really been brought here for."

Kaia nods sympathetically. "They're not very good at this. It's pretty easy to figure out what they're up too. I've gotten better at it over the years, so I know long before I even walk into the situation that I'm about to walk into another matchmaking attempt."

Sasuke gives Kaia a pained, annoyed look, his black eyes narrowing slightly as he looked down at her. "You're saying I have to keep putting up with this?"

Kaia smiles weakly and shrugs. "Sorry, I couldn't say. Maybe you were just brought into the picture to try to get me set-up with someone. Or maybe they're genuinely interested in getting you sucked into their world of marital bliss too. You won't really know for sure until or unless they try again."

Sasuke sighs and scowls back over his shoulder at their host and hostess who were now talking quietly about the food Kakashi was cooking. Neither of the two guests believed for a moment they were doing anything more than listening to their conversation. Jaw clenching hard enough to make the muscles in the side of his face stand out, Sasuke mutters, "Great," then turns and moves further down the pool, out of earshot. Kaia watches him walk away and shrugs. Leaning over, she sets her drink on the ground by her feet, then slips out of her shorts. She picks her drink back up and as she stands throws her shorts at Samansa, laughing when the older woman catches the small bit of cotton with a look of mock resignation.

Holding the shorts up between the thumb and forefinger of one hand, Samansa looks askance at Kaia and calls out, "Really, Kaia, why do you wear these slut shorts? They're so _short_!"

Kaia snickers and sits on the edge of the pool, slipping quickly out of her sandals. She slides into the cool water with a soft sigh before she replies. "Because, they make my ass look great! Besides, you know I only wear those shorts over my bikini. It's not like I go out trolling for guys in the bars wearing those things."

"You'd certainly find a guy that way," Kakashi offers helpfully, earning himself a smack from his wife.

Kaia laughs and shakes her head before moving slowly down the length of the pool, stopping in front of Sasuke and smiling up at him. "You coming in?"

"In my jeans?"

"Well, if you want, but I wouldn't if I were you. When you got out and started to dry, those things'd make you itch like hell."

Sasuke smirks and shakes his head. "That's ok, I brought my swimming trunks."

Kaia takes a sip of her drink, then sets the glass on the edge of the pool and pushes off the edge, moving deeper into the pool, never taking her eyes from Sasuke. "Well then why don't you do put them on and hop in?"

"Are you flirting with me?"

"No, but I have to admit now that Kakashi and Samansa can't hear me, it is tempting. You're a hottie. They did good this time."

Sasuke grins at Kaia and shakes his head before lowering himself to sit at the edge of the pool. "I'll save the swimming for later. And you're quite attractive yourself. I noticed that from the moment you walked in, but I have to admit that seeing you in that tiny bikini and all wet doesn't hurt matters any."

Kaia grins at Sasuke and moves back over to the edge of the pool. "We can't let them know."

Sasuke shakes his head and glances back at Kakashi and Samansa, who quickly look away. "You're right about that. Kakashi would be unbearable to work with."

Kaia nods and turns her attention to the other couple as well. "I'd never hear the end of it from Samansa."

Sasuke looks back at Kaia, a small smile just ghosting around the edges of his mouth. "So, you need to find a way to slip me your number without them knowing this afternoon."

Kaia smiles back at Sasuke, her eyes flashing with amusement and no small amount of pleasure. "Yes, Officer."

Sasuke grins at this, making Kaia's heart skip several beats. She thought he was attractive before. Now she could see that the man was more than attractive, he was gorgeous. She had a brief moment of wanting to run over to Samansa and hug the older woman, wanting to thank her for her constant interference. Samansa had finally found someone that Kaia didn't think she could resist. As she floated at the edge of the pool, looking up into fathomless black eyes and an almost heart-wrenching grin, Kaia began to think she didn't want to resist. The sound of Samansa's laughter drifting from the other end of the pool draws her attention briefly and she decides that she wouldn't resist... once she was home where Samansa could no longer see her.


	2. Chapter 2

Kaia glanced in her review mirror and cursed loudly at the blue lights she saw flashing there. Slamming the palm of one hand against the steering wheel, she glances over her shoulder, checking her blind spot before drifting over into the right hand lane, then off the side of the road. She shoves her car into park, still muttering curses and turns the engine off with a hard wrench that if she'd been less angry she might have been afraid would break the key off in the ignition. Kaia had been having a bad day from the moment she woke up, and being pulled over for speeding was just the perfect end to the perfect day, even though it was still only ten in the morning. Leaning her head back against the headrest, she waits for the cop that pulled her over to walk up to her car as she digs her license out of her purse without even looking. Hearing the soft tap at her window, Kaia reaches over and wrenches the window down in short, sharp movements. It isn't until the window is completely down and she's holding her license out that she notices who the cop was that had pulled her over.

"Sasuke," she gasps in surprise.

"Hello, Kaia. I've been trying all day to get in touch with you. You don't answer your cell phone. You home phone doesn't seem to be working either. I was on my way out to your house to make sure you were ok when I saw you go by, so I turned around and here I am."

Kaia sighs and leans her head against the door frame, eyes closed, allowing herself to be relieved that her bad day wasn't getting worse with a ticket, then she smiles as a thrill of pleasure trickles through her that Sasuke was concerned about her. Lifting her head again, she smiles up at him. "Yeah, I'm not having a very good day. I left my damn cell at Samansa and Kakashi's last night, and I still don't know how I managed that. My home phone is out because some drunk asshole took out a phone pole early this morning. I don't know how long it's going to take them to fix that. But, I've got overdo bills to worry about, and I'm going to be late for work. No to mention I still need to get by Samansa's to pick up my cell phone."

Sasuke blinks and offers a sympathetic smile. "Not a good day, huh?"

Kaia winces, then smiles up at him. "Not so much, though this part of the day is looking up."

Sasuke grins at Kaia and leans down a little closer. Kaia's heart skips a beat as she thinks he's about to kiss her, but when he only stops, leaning closer, but not kissing, her heart begins to thump rapidly in her chest. "Well, I won't keep you then. I just wanted to be sure you were alright. And I wanted to make sure we're still on for dancing tomorrow night."

"As far as I know I'm alright. Just really annoyed that everything seems to be falling apart at once today. As of this moment, we are most certainly still on for dancing tomorrow night. I've made sure I kept my schedule clear and have taken all the precautions I can to keep anything from popping up and ruining our chance to actually keep this date. How about you?"

"I've got tomorrow off. I've made sure of it every single day this week."

Kaia looks at Sasuke quietly for a few moments then smiles at him and shakes her head. Leaning back in her seat, she presses her head into the headrest and squeezes her eyes closed. "Yeah, but the problem is, no matter how much we fight to be sure we have the day off, some bullshit could always pop up and take away that chance. Just look at how many times it's happened so far." Sighing, Kaia opens her eyes and sits up, looking up into Sasuke's eyes again. "Listen to me. I'm just a fount of positivity today, aren't I? Sorry."

Sasuke chuckles and shakes his head slightly. "Nothing to be sorry about. I know how you feel. As much as I love talking to you on the phone, it's not exactly my idea of a fun date." Sasuke pauses and just before Kaia speaks he grins at her and continues. "I have to admit, it is going to be fun not having to worry about those first date jitters."

Kaia grins back at him and leans out the window, putting her face right in Sasuke's. "You're not nervous about going out with me? I should think you'd be so dazzled by my beauty that you couldn't keep your hands from trembling and your knees from knocking."

Sasuke gives Kaia a mock serious look and nods slowly. "Oh, yes, that's true of course. No, what I mean is that most first dates involve two complete strangers spending time together and attempting to get to know one another in one night. After so many missed chances at this first date, and so many long phone conversations after those missed dates, we've moved well past the stranger stage."

Kaia considers this for a few moments, then nods and grins up at Sasuke. "Yeah, you're right, I hadn't thought about that."

Sasuke's reply is cut off but the sudden and unexpected crackle of his radio. Cursing he keys the mike hooked to the shoulder of his shirt and answers his dispatcher's call. Kaia turns her attention to tucking her driver's license back into her purse, and when she looks back at Sasuke he's scowling. "I'm sorry, I've got a call. Go get your phone back so I can call you tonight. You get off work at nine, right?"

Kaia nods and sighs. "Yeah, thanks for the reminder. I hate working nights."

Sasuke nods. "I know how you feel. I'll call you about ten then and we can confirm our date one last time."

Kaia grins at him as he stands back up, then nods her head and pokes it out her car window. "I'll be waiting for your call then. Have a good day at work, Sasuke. Be safe."

Kaia sits on the side of the road and watches Sasuke drive off, lights and sirens going on his car. She takes a deep breath and just sits enjoying the pleasure of seeing Sasuke unexpectedly. Still smiling, she starts her car and pulls out into traffic again to continue on her errands, deciding that she'd better get by to pick up her cell phone before Samansa arrived home from work because he friend would never stop hounding her until she found out what was going on the moment she saw the smile on Kaia's face. As she moves through town, she decides to pay only the more pressing bills before stopping by her friends' house to pick up her cell phone before work. The rest of the bills could wait until the next day as far as Kaia was concerned.

By the time Kaia gets through paying the more important bills all pleasure of her encounter with Sasuke had been wiped away. When she pulls up in front of her friends' house, she's dismayed and annoyed to find Samansa's car in the driveway, but at the same time she was glad to know she'd be seeing her friend before work so she could vent some of her annoyance. Getting out of the car, Kaia hurries up the walk to the front door. She lifts her hand to knock, but the door is tugged open before she can even finish raising her hand. She stares up at her friend in shock. Samansa was standing in the doorway looking sick. She was so pale she was nearly gray and Kaia could see the worry in her friend's eyes.

"Shit! Samansa, what's going on? Are you ok?"

"Kakashi's been trying to call you for two hours. He says your home phone isn't working and he couldn't get you on your cell."

"Yeah, that's why I'm here, I left it here last night. Why the hell is Kakashi trying to call me?" Kaia asks in confusion.

Samansa doesn't seem to hear Kaia as she rushes on. "I found your cell phone a little while ago. I was hoping you'd come by for it before work. I didn't want to have to go to your job to tell you."

Kaia felt the first stirrings of panic. She'd never seen her friend act like this before. "Tell me what? Damnit Samansa, what's going on!?"

"Sasuke's been shot!"


	3. Chapter 3

Kaia felt herself growing numb as her mind rebelled against what she'd just heard. "What?" she asks through numbs lips.

"Sasuke was shot. He's at the hospital. I haven't heard from Kakashi in a while. He said he'd call me when he had any news if we hadn't showed up at the hospital yet."

Her blood suddenly running cold, Kaia shook her head slowly. "I just saw Sasuke a couple of hours ago. He pulled me over to see if I was ok because he couldn't get in touch with me. My phone's out because some damn drunk took out a phone pole and my cell is here. He wanted to see if we were still on for our date tomorrow night. We've had so many near misses because something keeps coming up for one or the other of us and keeping us from having that first date. It's only been a couple of hours. He said he had to go on a call from his dispatcher, but he was fine. He wasn't hurt. He wasn't... shot."

Samansa reached out and grabbed Kaia's shoulders, and it wasn't until then that she realized dimly that she'd begun to sway on her feet. "That call was for a bank robbery in progress. Sasuke was shot when one of the men tried to make a break for it." Samansa's fingers tightened just short of pain before she continued. "Kakashi said the bullet missed his vest entirely and got him low on the neck. There was a lot of blood, but the ambulance was there quickly."

The room began to go gray around the edges as the rest of Kaia's body started to grow numb. She murmurs Sasuke's name, then closes her eyes, letting the darkness take her away from everything. A sharp crack of pain on one cheek snaps Kaia back from the dark precipice. Jerking her eyes open, she looks up at her friend in shock, her hand flying up to her abused cheek as she gasps, "You _hit_ me!"

Samansa frowns sternly at Kaia and nods her head. "I did. And I'll do it again if you try to pass out on me. We don't have time for you to act like a girl. We need to get to the hospital. Sasuke was asking for you just before the loaded him into the ambulance. As soon as he's able to see visitors, yours is the first face he'll probably want to see."

"If he lives," Kaia murmurs numbly as fear begins to knife through her, pushing back the numbness and leaving a cold she'd never known before in its wake.

Samansa's hands tighten on Kaia's shoulders hard enough this time to make her cry out softly in pain. "You listen to me, Kaia Akari, I don't want you even _thinking_ like that! Do you hear me? You get all that negative shit out of your head right now! Sasuke is going to need you to be strong and positive for him through this. Do you love him?"

Kaia nods, still dazed by the news. "I do. I.. Yes, I love him."

Samansa nods then finally lets go of Kaia's shoulders and steps back. "Then you be strong damnit. Not just for him, but for yourself as well. Loving a cop isn't easy, trust me, but if you give in to that fear now, you'll have to live in fear every moment he's at work and you'll go insane."

Kaia only nods again, then follows Samansa as the older woman grabs her purse and keys from the table near the front door and heads out. Much of what follows is a complete blur to Kaia. Kakashi tells them both that the bullet had lodged in Sasuke's neck and was pinching nerves that left him partially paralyzed and that he was in surgery to remove the bullet. After that Kaia could only sit in numb silence as time passed unnoticed as they waited for the doctor to come and tell them of the outcome of the surgery. Several police officers she knew and many more than she didn't came from time to time to comfort Kaia as they waited. Finally the doctor walked out into the waiting room and Kaia wondered briefly if she was going to faint.

"Mr Uchiha came through the surgery just fine."

Anything the doctor said after that was lost to Kaia as white noise filled her ears and her mind pushing everything else aside. She leaned forward, placing her head between her knees until she was sure she wasn't going to pass out. When she lifted her head again, the doctor was gone and Kakashi was sitting next to her with his arm over her shoulders and Samansa was kneeling in front of her.

"Sasuke's going to be ok, Kaia."

Kaia nods and takes a slow deep breath. "I heard him."

"He said you can go see him in about an hour. He's still under anesthesia."

Kaia nods again and closes her eyes, leaning over to hang her head between her knees. She feels Kakashi's hand rubbing her back and she feels the hard plastic bench of chairs shift under Samansa's weight when the older woman sits on her other side. The next hour alternates between passing agonizingly slow and passing in an unnoticed blur. Finally Kaia finds herself standing outside of a closed door with Sasuke's name written on a piece of tape at about eye-level... to an average sized person. She smiles absently, amused to have noticed how short she was in comparison to that sign. It was so unimportant, and yet here she stood thinking about it.

Pushing thought aside, Kaia pushed the door open and stepped into the room. She stopped and stared across the room as the door quietly whooshed closed behind her. Sasuke lay on the bed, neck covered in thick white bandages, white sheets pulled up to about mid-chest. He was so pale Kaia felt a spike of panic that she quickly squashed. The only color she saw was the harsh splash of his black hair over the pillow. She locks her gaze on the bit of color as she walks slowly across the room. By the time she reaches the side of his bed, there's another splash of color for Kaia to concentrate on: Sasuke's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke whispers in a harsh, gravelly voice.

"For what?"

"For nearly getting myself killed."

Kaia smiles absently and pulls the chair up next to the bed and sits, holding one of Sasuke's hands in both of hers. "Don't be silly, it's not like you did it on purpose. You were doing your job, and I'm proud of you for that."

"Still, it was a rookie mistake."

"Kakashi's never going to let you hear the end of it."

Sasuke grins weakly, then closes his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kaia."

"What for this time?"

"I don't think I'm going to be up for dancing tomorrow night."

Kaia bursts out laughing, and hearing the edge of tears in her laughter she ducks her head and composes herself before looking at Sasuke again. "Well damnit, we're never going to have that first date. I'll tell you what, since you can't go out dancing with me tomorrow night, I'll bring the music here and I'll dance for you."

Sasuke opens his eyes and looks over at Kaia again. Seeing the smile in his eyes, Kaia leans closer to him and smiles back. "I didn't know you were a dancer."

Kaia nods, "I've been dancing since high school. I thought I told you about that."

"It's illegal for high school kids to dance."

Kaia frowns at Sasuke, wondering if he were still loopy from the anesthesia. "What do you mean?"

"And I thought you worked as a waitress, not a stripper."

Kaia gapes at Sasuke, a mix of horror, anger and embarrassment raging through her until she sees the look in his eyes and realizes she's being teased. "I'm going to kick your ass when you get out of here Sasuke Uchiha!"

Sasuke grins and closes his eyes again. "Sounds good to me. It can be our first date."

Kaia laughs quietly and shakes her head. "Damn you. How did you make me love you so fast?"

Sasuke smiles but doesn't open his eyes. "The same way you made me love you just as fast."

"You're welcome," Kaia hears from the door behind her.

Turning around, Kaia finds Samansa and Kakashi gloating in the doorway and groans as she turns back again to look at Sasuke who had his eyes open once more and was looking across the room as well. "Great, something else for him to give me hell about for the rest of my life."

"Damn right," Kakashi calls from behind Kaia. "And you said that matchmaking never works. You both shouldn't have underestimated my wife."

Kaia sighs and leans her head down, kissing the back of Sasuke's hand before turning to look back at her friend again. "Thank you for not giving up on me. And thank you for giving me this happiness. You're right, I didn't know what I was missing, and I'm glad I'm not missing it anymore."


End file.
